That is really odd the one store in Baltimore I go to for vinyl, Soundgarden, just did a remodel and expanded the vinyl section into its own room. I took that as a sign as vinyl taking a bigger hold in todayís market.

Perhaps its more a sign in the decline of brick and mortar stores overall. I enjoy the physical act of digging through vinyl there is something very satisfying about the full packaging that vinyl gives you.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:21 am

poisonfree

Joined: 23 Aug 2002
Posts: 1525
Location: Macramento

When I worked here:

I went out of my way to stock the shelves with new hip hop vinyl. It was a struggling battle. I always made sure to not only fill the hip hop section with Classics like DeLa and Erick B & Rakim, but I'd throw in tons of Sage/Anticon/AesopRock Vinyl. I even made it a daily habit to play it in the store every shift I worked haha.

too bad You didn't have the Label/Website up then, All I had to help promote was my "Natalie Portman Has a Stalker" shirt and most of my conversations about the shirt were exclaiming "No that is not me on the shirt, I have a beard, that is a Handle-Bar"

The vinyl sold, but very slowly. It made my heart hurt.

Most of our good vinyl sales were made from the basement to PBWolf and Shadow, and the DJ of whatever big named act was in town.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:48 am

duck_shoe

Joined: 15 Sep 2002
Posts: 1362
Location: Right here, fool.

Soundscan reported a 15% increase in vinyl sales in 2007. That doesn't make up for the 43% it declined from 2000-2006, but it's a start.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:02 am

the meanCertified O.G.

Joined: 31 Jul 2003
Posts: 6500
Location: philly/sacto/kauai/ohio

poisonfree wrote: When I worked here:

Tell us stories about the basement.

It's sad that nobody gives a fuck about music fidelity and packaging anymore. So much so that high fidelity formats are so unrealistic, economically, that many releases aren't even produced on vinyl.

I've been dealing with this since the early 90s, so it's nothing new. But frustrating nonetheless.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:37 am

Inedible Condiment

Joined: 30 Sep 2008
Posts: 1045
Location: Halifax, NS

I've been trying to start a decent vinyl collection for 5 or 6 years, and honestly the best place to get vinyl has always been second-hand stores... obviously you're not going to get new vinyl that way though. Shitty deal. Also, around here, hip-hop actually dominates the vinyl sections of the CD/record stores, but record stores that stock only vinyl are still all country/classic rock for the most part.

I would've bought your vinyl Sage, but to be honest, I just bought your last 3 CDs based on three songs someone burned me, so I wasn't sure if I'd like the albums enough to buy the CDs and the vinyl... now I have to make some more money before I can afford the vinyl. Hopefully the sale isn't over by then!

Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:44 am

bbreakz

Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 948

I don't buy vinyl as much as i used to, but i wish i did. There are just not many record stores in Orange County. Why do i live here? And traveling up to LA is just too much. Nowadays i buy vinyl at the shows, just as much for support the artist as for collecting. I love the Live Evel EP, which i picked up at Paid Dues. I have purchased most of my Atmosphere stuff at record stores though, when i can make it to them. I did grab Artis Goes Pop too up in Portsmouth at Bullmoose on a trip home. (Still a solid Vinyl selection at that place)

I should get back to ordering records online. When i used to buy breakbeats and trance records from shops like Satellite Records and Inntune, the suspence of waiting for them to arrive in the mail was great. Everyday i would come home from class when an order was out hoping to see that square box stuck between my screen door. That feeling when they showed up was the best. Even if i got three in the order i would spin records for hours that night.

Man, i never touch my turntables anymore.

I got burnt a lot though buying from some early online record labels. That sucked. One record company still owes me like 110 bucks from way back in 2000. Jerks.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:06 am

tommi teardrop

Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 2218
Location: Las Vegas

Ever since hiphopsite closed, I donít buy much new vinyl anymore. There is a Zia records that sells vinyl, but their selection was pretty weak last time I went. Iím just paranoid to buy it on the internet because Iím afraid it is going to get warped. I live in a hot city, and I just think about it sitting in a UPS truck all day.

When you combine that with the fact that I will usually have to download or buy a CD copy so that I can listen to it in my car (the main place I listen to music), it just starts to be more trouble than it is worth.

So, lately I only buy records if there is something I can do, musically, with a certain record. Since I buy them more for sampling purposes than DJing out, it just doesnít make a lot of sense to buy a vinyl copy of all the new shit that I want to hear. Iíd rather spend the money on some old shit that will actually be useful.

Iím still a sucker for hip-hop 7 and 10 inches though. And Iíll still buy peopleís vinyl at shows. I really felt bad for you guys at that Phoenix show when the vinyl didnít get on the plane.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:26 pm

laurapalmer

Joined: 10 Jul 2002
Posts: 1477

I used to get stuff from indy stores and then order from hhs and sandbox, but as both stopped selling vinyl, i don't order a thing anymore outside of ebay.

as for record stores, the only stores close to me are used places taht are more jazz, classic rock etc.

so...all that said, i get excited to see you and fifth element make wax easy to find. and if you want to step up to take the spot of the sandboxes and hhs of the world, let me know, we can talk about that stuff again as it is after the 15th i did pick up the live evel from b dolan when he came through with dan le sac, but just haven't gotten around to prolyphic yet.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:57 pm

hank

Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 704
Location: shitcreek

A friend of mine opened a record store a two years ago. Very brave thing to do, he's the last opened record store in the Benelux and the youngest recordstore owner in the Netherlands. He 's not making millions but he can live from it. He has great service, knows his customers taste, gives lemonade to my kids and coffee for everyone, rings when 2nd hand vinyl comes in that someone might like. He also sells cd's for local bands without profit.

I buy from him whenever i can. He also organised this in his store;

Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:27 am

Buddy Peace

Joined: 21 Jul 2002
Posts: 1651

It feels very odd getting nostalgic about vinyl when it's still around and being made, and hasn't died at all. It feels like it's gone the way it's talked about, but it is still on the planet and there is still a market for it (although this market is a lot smaller than it once was).

It is a real shame without a doubt - perhaps it's a generational thing but I used to get so excited about going record shopping. That was my favourite part of the week (I'd usually do hardcore digging on my days off from work).

I did the tour of duty a couple of weeks ago (I'm on student loan money these days so I just go wild how I used to) around the shops I used to go in and, although I got a few goodies, it just wasn't the same at all. Some of the shops seems so bare, and a lot of the stock was in complete tatters - it was sad, and it felt like being in a sinking ship. Not every shop, but it feels different these days. But then, even in shops in London like Fopp - their CDs are so cheap that instead of becoming appealing, it feels like it has no value. That's mainly CDs and DVDs though. It's a weird feeling and I think it's probably just me (I'm sure I don't represent a huge amount of the public with the way I feel about it), but it was very different to even three or four years ago.

In terms of vinyl though, it seems that there aren't a huge amount of reasons for people to buy it anymore. There are freely available mp3s and you can DJ with programs like Serato too which save on carrying huge boxes of records around, so for some people there just isn't a place for vinyl... For most of us, there definitely is but I can see why it doesn't figure in some people's lives. But I don't think it's going to disappear like some people would have you believe... Not at all, not in the near future anyway.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:38 am

Buddy Peace

Joined: 21 Jul 2002
Posts: 1651

hank wrote: A friend of mine opened a record store a two years ago. Very brave thing to do, he's the last opened record store in the Benelux and the youngest recordstore owner in the Netherlands. He 's not making millions but he can live from it. He has great service, knows his customers taste, gives lemonade to my kids and coffee for everyone, rings when 2nd hand vinyl comes in that someone might like. He also sells cd's for local bands without profit.

That sounds great. When shops are run like that, there's no reason why they can't succeed! Most of what I said just then in my post above is about the Central London shops. The thing is, a lot of them (not all) have a history of treating customers like losers - typical record shop wankers that will openly talk shit about other customers when they haven't even made it to the door to leave. Either that or just behave like you're a moron whatever you do. You can be really friendly and be polite to them when you're buying stuff but they can be complete chumps. I never understood that. If you treat people well and with respect, that does so much work - they'll tell people, they'll appreciate the service and more than likely they'll want to see/help you survive.

Your friend's shop sounds like a very nice place to be.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:44 am

poisonfree

Joined: 23 Aug 2002
Posts: 1525
Location: Macramento

Bats, the Basement was filled with Bats. The Basement was said to be haunted, but I'm not religious/superstitious so my better judgment had me witness boxes fall and records move, usually due to a Bat/Cat/Rat, but not any spirit.

In fact the entire Building was filled with bats, almost Daily I would catch Bats with a toy Butterfly net that we had taped to a Poster-Tube, and stick them in small boxes, Tape them up, and Stack them until Animal Control would come.

(Anyone who has been in there most likely has walked beneath tons of sleeping bats hanging from he roof, you just never noticed haha)

One Gross story, I was downstairs digging through records for like 2hrs, the Basement could make you crazy so I can see why people think it was haunted. The Air Was cold, stale, and smelled horrible. The ancient electrical had the lights flickering like fireflies.

Ohyeah and It's quiet, dead quiet down there. Imagine a Maze of Records, Insulating you from any sounds.

A while into it I flip a record over and a flattened, Mummified Bat falls into my Lap.

I jumped and made a weird high pitched noise and ran upstairs. It was pretty gross, ruined my day.

That's just one incident of the basement, there are many more.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:05 am

hank

Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 704
Location: shitcreek

Buddy Peace wrote:

That sounds great. When shops are run like that, there's no reason why they can't succeed! Most of what I said just then in my post above is about the Central London shops. The thing is, a lot of them (not all) have a history of treating customers like losers - typical record shop wankers that will openly talk shit about other customers when they haven't even made it to the door to leave. Either that or just behave like you're a moron whatever you do. You can be really friendly and be polite to them when you're buying stuff but they can be complete chumps. I never understood that. If you treat people well and with respect, that does so much work - they'll tell people, they'll appreciate the service and more than likely they'll want to see/help you survive.

Your friend's shop sounds like a very nice place to be.

Yep, it sure is. He's not the elitist music lover looking down on other people's taste but but open, friendly and willing to do something extra for his customers.I think the same thing goes for other stores, butchers, groceries etcetera. When its done with love and passion it so much more satisfying for me as a customer. Thats why i like strangefamous records too.

One time i traded in some records and one of them turned out to be quit expensive (bj ward; vocal ease) He sold it and gave me bottle of whiskey.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:09 am

Seamus Ignoramus

Joined: 06 Nov 2002
Posts: 927
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Buddy, that "record store worker attitude" is definitely an international phenomenon. I have encountered it a lot here, and in other countries also. I often scratched my head over it also, it doesn't make sense - they're basically saying "you need us, we don't need you." Mind you, I kind of did need them for a lot of years, haha. The amount of impulse buys of shitty records I made (when I could afford to) was crazy.

The movie High fidelity deals with the comedy of the record shop experience well.

A friend of mine runs a shop. He has had to branch out a lot and stock non-hiphop vinyl (Can and other stuff like that) in order to keep going, but it seems to be working as far as I know. He also sells a lot of paint to kids.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:36 am

the meanCertified O.G.

Joined: 31 Jul 2003
Posts: 6500
Location: philly/sacto/kauai/ohio

The basement at Records is legendary. I am sad that it no longer exists. How many of those records made it to the new location?

Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:34 pm

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